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22 October, 2013

Norwegian sisters, 16 and 19, ‘travel to Syria to help Muslims in any way they can’ Norway has launched an Interpol hunt to track down the missing sisters

Norwegian sisters, 16 and 19, ‘travel to Syria to help Muslims in any way they can’Norway has launched an Interpol hunt to track down the missing sisters

They emailed their parents to inform them they'd gone 'to help Muslims'The two teenagers were last spotted on the Turkish-Syria border

By HELEN COLLIS

Norwegian police have issued international alerts for two teenage sisters believed to have travelled to Syria to join the civil war.

Police in suburban Oslo on Monday said the sisters, aged 16 and 19, are Norwegian citizens of Somali origin and were last spotted on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Police spokeswoman Nina Karstensen Bjoerlo said a wanted notice was issued through Interpol for the older sister and a missing notice for the younger teen because she's a minor. The identities of the two girls has not been made public.

Concern: Two Norwegian girls of Somali origin have fled to Syria to 'help Muslims in any way they can'. War continues to ravage the country as groups fight back against the Assad regime

Norwegian newspaper VG said the sisters sent an email to their family Thursday saying they were travelling to Syria to help Muslims 'in any way we can'.

Translated by The National, the emailed letter said: 'Muslims are currently under attack from all fronts and something needs to be done. We want to help the Muslims, and the only way to do so is to be with them in their pains and their joy.

'It is not enough to stay at home and send money. With this in mind, we have decided to go to Syria to help by any means.'

Radicalised: There are fears the elder sister may have been radicalised before leaving Norway with her younger sister to fight in Syria. Fighting between the two sides continued over the weekend - civilians fled in fear as a gasoline and oil shop in Aleppo's Bustan Al-Qasr neighbourhood was hit yesterday

The Norwegian girls were last seen on the Turkish-Syria border on their journey to the war-ravaged country, to 'help'

The National reported that the two sisters were not from a particularly religious family but according to Norwegian tabloid VG, the elder sister had recently become radicalised and had started wearing a full-face veil or niqab.

Karstensen Bjoerlo declined to comment on their motive for going but said: 'We know that Syria is in a state of war so this is disconcerting.'